Flange assembly

ABSTRACT

A flange assembly is disclosed. The assembly includes a tubular structure having a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, and a flange structure comprising an aperture coupled to the tubular structure using an attachment element.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/670,931, filed on Apr. 12, 2005, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One conventional method for joining fiber-reinforced plastic air ducts includes forming a seal around pieces of duct. The seal may be formed by wrapping a fiber-reinforced resin material around the abutting ends of the adjoining duct pieces and curing the same. This seal permanently joins the duct pieces.

In some cases, the permanent joining of two duct pieces is undesirable. For example, in the semiconductor industry, process gases that are exhausted in the joined duct pieces may react and may form solids or semi-solids. These solids or semi-solids can clog up the duct pieces and shut down the exhaust system. To clean out the exhaust system, one needs to cut the joined duct pieces, and then clean out the clogged duct piece or replace the clogged duct piece with a new duct piece. The same type of seal can then be formed around the ends of the new duct piece to install it in the exhaust system.

The conventional process of replacing duct pieces in an existing exhaust system is time consuming. It is well known that a semiconductor fabrication facility is expensive to build. It is therefore important that any downtime caused by events such as clogged exhaust systems be minimized so that its utilization is maximized.

The duct replacement/cleaning process mentioned above is also difficult for workers to perform and uses many steps.

It would be desirable to provide for a simpler and less time-consuming solution to the above problems. Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are directed to flange assemblies, systems, and methods.

One embodiment of the invention is directed to a flange assembly comprising: a tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material; a flange structure comprising an aperture coupled to the tubular structure; and an attachment element between the flange structure and the tubular structure.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a system comprising: a first flange assembly comprising (i) a first tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, (ii) a first flange structure coupled to the first tubular structure, and (iii) a first attachment element between the first flange structure and the first tubular structure; a second flange assembly comprising (i) a second tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, (ii) a second flange structure coupled to the second tubular structure, and (iii) a second attachment element between the second flange structure and the second tubular structure; and a retaining ring structure disposed between the first flange structure and the second flange structure.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method comprising: obtaining a tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material; and attaching a flange structure comprising an aperture to the tubular structure using an attachment element, wherein the flange structure and the tubular structure form a flange assembly.

These and other embodiments of the invention are described in further detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1( a) shows an exploded view of parts of a flange assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1( b) shows two parts of a flange structure according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a tubular structure that can be used in embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of a tubular system according to an embodiment of the invention in an unassembled state without clamps.

FIG. 4 shows a side cross-sectional view of the system in FIG. 3 in an assembled state.

FIG. 5 shows an exhaust system according to another embodiment of the invention.

In the Figures, like numerals designate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention are directed to directed to tubular systems, methods for making the tubular systems, and flange assemblies that can be used in the tubular systems. In one embodiment, the tubular system may be used in an exhaust system that uses air ducts. The air ducts and tubular systems according to embodiments of the invention are preferably adapted to transport liquids or gases containing corrosive materials.

Although air ducts and duct systems are described in detail in this application, it is understood that embodiments of the invention are not limited to air ducts and duct systems. For example, embodiments of the invention can also be used in piping systems that are used to transport liquids such as corrosive liquids.

One specific embodiment is directed to a tubular system. The tubular system comprises a first flange assembly comprising (i) a first tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, (ii) a first flange structure coupled to the first tubular structure, and (iii) a first attachment element between the flange structure and the first tubular structure. The system also includes a second flange assembly comprising (i) a second tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, (ii) a second flange structure coupled to the second tubular structure, and (iii) a second attachment element between the flange structure and the second tubular structure. A retaining ring structure is disposed between the first flange assembly and the second flange assembly. Each of these components is described in further detail below.

FIG. 1( a) shows components of an exploded view of a flange assembly 100(b) according to an embodiment of the invention. The flange assembly 100(b) includes a flange structure 102(b) and a tubular structure 104(b). One flange structure 102(b) is shown at one end of the tubular structure 104(b). In other embodiments, flange structures may be at both ends of the tubular structure 104(b).

The tubular flange structure 102(b) and the tubular structure 104(b) may have any suitable shape. For example, either or both may have a circular, oval, or rectangular section or shape. The tubular structure 104(b) may be a cylindrical structure, a parallelpiped structure, etc. Some examples of suitable tubular structures can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/916,749, filed on Aug. 11, 2004, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

An attachment element 150 is between the tubular structure 104(b) and the flange structure 102(b). When assembled together, the flange assembly 100(b) includes a tubular section formed by the tubular structure 104(b) and a flange formed by the flange structure 102(b). The flange structure 102(b) provides the tubular structure 104(b) with a flange so that the formed flange assembly 100(b) can be easily coupled to another flange assembly.

The flange structure 102(b) may have an aperture and may be in the form of a ring. It may have an inner ring-shaped seat 102(b)-1 and an outer ring-shaped seat 102(b)-2. The seats 102(b)-1, 102(b)-2 may have any suitable dimensions.

The inner seat 102(b)-1 receives an end of the tubular structure 104(b) and is preferably cooperatively structured with respect to the end of the tubular structure 104(b). An attachment element 150 may couple the end of the tubular structure 104(b) and the flange structure 102(b) together.

The outer seat 102(b)-2 extends radially outward from the inner seat 102(b)-1. The outer seat 102(b)-2 can receive ends of C-clamps (not shown) or some other coupling mechanism.

The attachment element 150 in this example is a ring of an adhesive that is placed on the end of the tubular structure 104(b) and/or in the outer seat 102(b)-2. The adhesive may be an epoxy-based adhesive that may bond metal to a fiber reinforced plastic material. Suitable adhesives are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,949, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. In other embodiments, other attachment elements may be used.

The flange structure 102(b) may be formed of any suitable material. Suitable materials include metal and fiber-reinforced plastic materials. The flange structure 102(b) preferably comprises two or more parts, at least one part being made of a metal such as aluminum (or stainless steel) and another part being made of a composite plastic material.

The flange structure 102(b), and any parts making up the flange structure 102(b) may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, a block of aluminum or a block of a fiber-reinforced plastic composite material may be molded or milled using conventional milling processes to create the flange structure shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the flange structure 102(b) could be a monolithic body in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the flange structure is made of separate parts with dissimilar materials.

FIG. 1( b) shows a flange structure embodiment that includes two separate parts made of dissimilar materials. The flange structure includes a flange base 155 and a flange clamp ring section 156. The flange base 155 has an inner ring portion 155(a) and an outer flange portion 155(b). The outer flange portion 155(b) extends radially outward from the inner ring portion 155(a). The flange base 155 is preferably made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material (e.g., a phenolic fiber reinforced resin). Examples of fiber-reinforced plastic materials are mentioned below.

The flange clamp ring section 156 comprises a metallic material such as stainless steel or aluminum. It has an inner ring portion 156(a) and an outer flange portion 156(b) that extends radially outward from the inner ring portion 156(a). In other embodiments, the flange clamp ring section 156 could be made of a fiber-reinforced composite material. This ring 156 may be referred to as a “load bearing channel ring” in some cases.

Together, the outer flange portion 156(b) of the flange clamp section 156 and the outer flange portion 155(b) of the flange base 155 can form a flange in the flange assembly 100(b). In this example, the flange clamp section 156 is disposed around the inner ring portion 155(a) of the flange base 155.

The flange clamp section 156 and the flange base 155 can be bonded together using a suitable adhesive (not shown). For example, the epoxy adhesives mentioned herein may be used to bond the flange clamp section 156 and the flange base 155 together. The aperture in the flange base 155 provides a passage for gases or liquids, while the flange clamp section 156 provides the flange base 155 and the flange structure 102(b) with added structural stability.

FIG. 2 shows a radial cross-section of a tubular structure 104(b) according to an embodiment of the invention. The tubular structure 104(b) has a first layer outer layer 114(a) and a second inner layer 114(b). The outer layer 114(a) may be fire-resistant while the second inner layer 114(b) may be corrosion resistant. The outer layer 114(a) and the inner layer 114(b) may have any suitable thickness. Other layers may also be present. For example, there may be a fluoropolymer layer liner in the tubular structure 104(b).

Suitable corrosion-resistant materials that may be used in the inner layer 114(b) may include vinyl ester resins. Vinyl ester resins are preferably used because of their superior chemical resistance. Suitable vinyl ester resins are commercially available under the tradename Derakane (e.g., Derakane 510A), by Dow Chemical Inc. of Midland, Mich.

Suitable fire-resistant resins that can be used in the outer layer 114(a) include phenolic resins. In other embodiments, a phenolic resin such as a phenol-aldehyde resin may be used. A suitable phenol-aldehyde resin is commercially available from Borden Chemical, Inc. Other exemplary resins include resorcinol-aldehyde, or phenol-resorcinol-aldehyde based resin systems.

In some cases, the resins used in the inner and outer layers 114(a), 114(b) may be translucent or transparent to allow one to see inside of the formed tubular structures. In addition, resins used to form the above-described flange structure may also comprise a translucent or transparent resin material.

Each layer 114(a), 114(b) includes a fabric material in addition to a resin material. For example, the fabric material may be glass, random glass mat, woven roving, boat cloth, filament winding, or organic (or inorganic) veils as subsequent layers of glass in order to achieve the desired wall thicknesses. For some applications, the aforesaid fabric materials may be impregnated with graphite or carbon fibers or even ceramic fibers to provide increased strength and fire resistance.

The two layer tubular structure 104(b) may be formed by wrapping a fabric around a mandrel and then saturating the fabric with a vinyl ester resin. This layer is then cured, and then a second layer of resin-saturated fabric is wrapped around the cured vinyl-ester and fabric layer. The resin in the second layer may comprise a phenolic resin as mentioned above. The second layer is then cured. Once the second layer is cured, the two layer structure is formed and is taken off of the mandrel. Those of ordinary skill in the art know of suitable processing conditions.

An exemplary method for forming a flange assembly can be described with reference to FIGS. 1( a)-1(b). Referring to FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b), the tubular structure 104(b) may first be formed as described above. The flange base 155 and a flange clamp ring section 156 may then be formed as described above. The flange clamp ring section 156 may then be attached to the flange base 155 with an adhesive, and the combined flange clamp ring section 156 and flange base 155 may be attached to the tubular structure with an attachment element 150 such as an adhesive.

FIG. 3 shows a first flange assembly 100(a) including a first tubular structure 104(a) and a first flange structure 102(a), and second flange assembly 100(b) including a second tubular structure 104(b) and a second flange structure 102(b). The first and second tubular structures 104(a), 104(b) form passageways 105(a), 105(b).

A retaining ring structure 194 and an 0-ring gasket 125 are between the first and second flange structures 102(a), 102(b). A central inner portion 194(a) of the retainer ring structure 194 is inside of an outer portion 194(b). The inner central portion 194(a) may comprise a fiber-reinforced plastic material. This shields the gasket 125 from any corrosive fluids passing through joined tubular structures. The outer portion 194(b) may be a stainless steel ring with an inner groove that receives the gasket 125. The gasket 125 can therefore be sandwiched between the inner portion 194(a) and the outer portion 194(b). Although the retaining ring structure 194 is shown as including two separate parts (i.e., 194(a), 194(b)) in this example, it can be of one piece construction in other embodiments. As shown in FIG. 3, the facing faces of the flange assemblies 100(a), 100(b) have shallow grooves 188(a), 188(b) that are cooperatively structured with the central portion 194(a) of the retaining ring structure 194.

The retaining ring structure 194 and the O-ring gasket 125 ensure that there is a tight seal between the flat facing faces of the first and second flange structures 102(a), 102(b). The O-ring gasket 125 may be made of Viton™ or some other suitable material. In this example, the O-ring gasket 125 sits in the middle of two concentric circular parts forming the retaining ring structure 194.

FIG. 4 shows an assembled tubular system 190 according to an embodiment of the invention. C-clamps securely couple the first and second flange assemblies 100(a), 100(b) together via the first and second flange structures 102(a), 102(b) to seal two adjacent tubular sections 104(a), 104(b) together. In other embodiments, nuts and bolts can pass through the abutting flanges of the flange assemblies 100(a), 100(b). Holes (not shown) may be formed in the abutting flanges of the flange assemblies 100(a), 100(b) to allow for the use of nuts and bolts as a securing mechanism.

In an exemplary assembly process, the flange assemblies 100(a), 100(b) are formed as described above. The O-ring gasket 125 is placed in the retainer ring 194, and this combination is placed between the flange assemblies 100(a), 100(b). Then, a plurality of clamps 106 may be positioned so that their ends sit in opposing seats 156(a), 156(b) in the flange structures 102(a), 102(b).

Other embodiments are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, the O-ring gasket could be embedded in a groove in a flange face. For example, the outer flange portion 155(b) in FIG. 1( b) could have a groove or ledge which receives an O-ring gasket or some other gasket structure. This would allow one to omit the retaining ring structure 194 which holds the O-ring in position in the above described embodiments. In some cases, a slip centering ring could be employed as an alignment ring and the O-ring is seated in the flange face and the flanges are sealed face to face for use in high pressure applications.

FIG. 5 shows an exhaust system according to an embodiment of the invention. The exhaust system includes the previously described tubular systems 190. The tubular systems 190 are coupled to slip collars with H-shaped cross sections 150. Slip collars with H-shaped cross-sections are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/368,028, filed on Feb. 19, 2003, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/765,707 filed on Jan. 26, 2004. Both of these applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. The slip collars with H-shaped cross-sections 150 couple a curved duct piece 156. Another slip collar 150 joins the tubular systems 190 to an exhaust duct.

Embodiments of the invention have number of advantages. For example, the flange assemblies according to embodiments of the invention may be easily connected or disconnected from other flange assemblies. For example, as described above, to connect two flange assemblies together, simple clamps, bolts, or the like may be used. To disconnect the two flange assemblies, the clamps, bolts, or the like may be removed and the flange assemblies can be separated. Unlike conventional duct joining methods and systems, one need to destroy a previously formed joint to remove a clogged piece of duct in an exhaust system. Also, embodiments of the invention are easy to use and fabricate, and also provide for a tight seal between adjacent duct sections. For instance, instead of conventional methods which include cutting duct pieces, forming a new seal with resin, and curing, embodiments of the invention can use a simple mechanical disconnect mechanism to remove a clogged duct piece.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Moreover, one or more features of one or more embodiments of the invention may be combined with one or more features of other embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention.

A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more” unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

All patents, patent applications, publications, and descriptions mentioned above are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. None is admitted to be prior art. 

1. A system comprising: a first flange assembly comprising (i) a first tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, (ii) a first flange structure coupled to the first tubular structure, and (iii) a first attachment element comprising an adhesive between the first flange structure and the first tubular structure; a second flange assembly comprising (i) a second tubular structure comprising a passageway and comprising a fiber reinforced plastic material, (ii) a second flange structure coupled to the second tubular structure, and (iii) a second attachment element between the second flange structure and the second tubular structure; and a retaining ring structure disposed between the first flange structure and the second flange structure; wherein the first flange structure comprises a first monolithic flange base comprising a first monolithic flange base inner ring portion and a first monolithic flange base outer flange portion that extends radially outward from the first monolithic flange base inner ring portion, and a first metal flange clamp ring that is positioned around the first monolithic flange base inner ring portion; and wherein the second flange structure comprises a second monolithic flange base, further wherein the first flange structure has a first inner seat and a first outer seat and wherein the second flange structure has a second inner seat and a second outer seat, wherein a first end of the first tubular structure is disposed in the first inner seat and a second end of the second tubular structure is disposed in the second inner seat, and wherein the system further comprises a plurality of clamps, wherein each clamp has a first end that is in the first outer seat of the first flange structure and a second end that is in the second outer seat of the second flange structure, and further wherein the first metal flange clamp ring defines the first outer seat and the first monolithic flange base defines the first inner seat.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the retaining ring structure comprises an inner portion and an outer portion, and wherein the system further comprises a gasket between the inner portion and the outer portion.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first tubular structure comprises an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the inner layer comprises a corrosion resistant resin material and wherein the outer layer comprises a fire resistant resin material.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first tubular structure comprises an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the inner layer comprises a corrosion resistant resin material comprising a vinyl ester material and wherein the outer layer comprises a fire resistant resin material comprising a phenol-aldehyde resin, resorcinol-aldehyde resin, or a phenol-resorcinol-aldehyde based resin.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first flange structure has a circular, oval, or rectangular shape.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first monolithic flange base comprises a fiber reinforced plastic material.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the second monolithic flange base further comprises a second inner ring portion and a second outer flange portion; and wherein the second outer flange portion extends radially outward from the second inner ring portion.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first metal clamp ring comprises a first metal clamp ring inner ring portion and a first metal clamp ring outer ring portion that extends radially outward from the first metal clamp ring inner ring portion.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first attachment element comprises an epoxy adhesive. 